Why was Renée Fleming saying "Toy, toy, toy" to everybody on the Simon Boccanegra theater broadcast?

The nice lady sitting next to me in the movie theater asked me this. Renée was spitting on them! Symbolically, that is. It's spelled "toi, toi, toi," and it's something you say to wish performers good luck.  It's the European equivalent of "Break a leg." The theory is that if you say something nice about a person, it brings them bad luck. The reverse is therefore true, so if you wish them covered with spittle, they should do well. Charming!

Another similar thing you might hear performers say is, "In boca al lupo." That's Italian for "May you be in the wolf's mouth."  The companion phrase is, "Crepa il lupo," meaning "May the wolf die." I learned this from an Italian singer, but I've never heard anyone actually say the second part.  Americans seem to shorten it to "Bocalupo." Top it off with a couple of air kisses—or even three if you're feeling particularly French—and everybody's happy!

Dio mio! What if I jinxed my first blog entry by writing about luck? I'd better touch my red coral horn to ward off the Evil Eye! And spit. We can't live without the spitting.